Incidence and Mortality of Proximal Femur Fractures in a City in the Southeast Region in Brazil

Background: Proximal femoral fractures are undoubtedly the worst complication of osteoporosis. This disease often presents as the first and only symptom of a fragility fracture. This type of fracture is associated with a high mortality rate; studies indicate that up to 20% of patients die within the first year after the fracture, and almost 50% of patients lose some degree of their previous functional capacity. Objective To determine the incidence of proximal femur fractures in people older than 50 years of age in the Barbacena region and to analyze subgroups by sex and age groups. In addition, we defined mortality during hospitalization. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective, observational, analytical and descriptive studyand included information from all patients admitted to the hospital between July 2021 and June 2024, with proximal femur fractures. This study was conducted in the city of Barbacena, located in the state of Minas Gerais, in the Southeast region. This hospital in Barbacena is the only reference for high complexity health care in the region, totaling 222,233 inhabitants. Results: During the 36 months of evaluation, 245 cases of proximal femur fractures were recorded and included in the study, corresponding to an annual incidence of 108.4 fractures/100,000 inhabitants (95% CI: 95.6-122.9); 165 were women (67.3%), and 80 were men (32.7%), corresponding to a mean incidence of 133.9 fractures/100,000 inhabitants/year (95% CI: 114.9–155.9) among women and 79.0 fractures/100,000 inhabitants/year (95% CI: 63.5–98.4) among men. The overall death rate was 15.4% (35 patients), with 23.3% among men and 11.6% among women. Conclusion: The incidence of proximal femur fractures was 108.4 fractures/100,000 inhabitants/year. This incidence is slightly greater than that found in the Brazilian literature. The incidence among women was much greater than that among men, reaching a ratio of 1:2.1. The incidence of fractures increases with age, but 60% of fractures occur in the population between 70 and 89 years of age. Notably, mortality increases with age and is greater among men in all age groups, with the mortality rate reaching 33% in men between 80 and 89 years of age.